Golf return game



July 28, 1964 J. G. PORTTEUS 3,142,487

GOLF RETURN GAME Filed Aug. 14, 1961 r 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F/G/ F/GZ J. G. PoR TTEUS IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY y 28, 1954 J. G. PORTTEUS 3,142,487

GOLF RETURN GAME Filed Aug. 14, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J. PORT TEUS INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY States Patent Difice 3,142,487 Patented July 28, 1964 3,142,487 GOLF RETURN GAME James Gold Portteus, Toledo, Ohio, assignoito Phillip A. Portteus, Dallas, Tex. Filed Aug. 14, 1961, Ser. No. 131,226 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-179) This invention relates to games of the type that simulate golf. More particularly, this invention provides a golf return game and apparatus therefor.

One object of this invention is to provide a game wherein properly struck balls are returned to the player for convenient repeated play.

Another object of this invention is to provide a game and apparatus therefor comprising means for reliably, conveniently, and accurately putting golf balls in convenient teeing or playing position combined with means for receiving and automatically returning said balls when properly struck to the teeing apparatus.

A further object of this invention is to provide a game and apparatus of this character so designed so that it may be conveniently compactly stored yet be readily assembled for playing conditions with a minimum of adjustment.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an automatic golf ball return apparatus which is inexpensive, sturdy, and reliable in performance which may be used indoors on rugs, or on hard floors, as well as outdoors on grassy or flat ground.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a golf ball receiving dispensing and teeing apparatus which is sturdy and reliable and convenient and adapted for indoor and outdoor use.

Other objects and features of this invention will be apparent from the following description which refers to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and wherein like numerals refer to like parts in all the figures and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an overall perspective view of the major sub-assemblies of the game apparatus according to this invention in their operative position relative to each other;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an embodiment of the return assembly shown in FIGURE 1 in its operative position;

FIGURE 3 is a top view of the return sub-assembly of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged top view of the dispenser sub-assembly of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of dispenser sub-assembly adapted for use on hard floors inthje combination shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view along the plane indicated as 6A6B.of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged view of the zone in the neighborhood of tee orifice 51;

FIGURE 8 is across-sectional view along the vertical plane 8A-8B of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 9 is a cross-sectional view along the vertical plane 9A9B of FIGURE 5.

According to this invention, there is provided a cooperative combination comprising a ball receptaclereservoir-dispenser sub-assembly 10, and, spaced away therefrom, a ball return sub-assembly 11. FIGURE 1 shows the two major mechanical sub-assemblies of this game, the dispenser pad sub-assembly 10 and the receptacle return apparatus sub-assembly 11, which face each other across the surface 18. A fiat floor which is carpeted or bare, or flat bare or grassy ground may provide the surface, 18, interposed between these sub-assemblies.

According to the game of this invention, the player 12, whose feet are indicated as 12A and 12B, stands with his weight on pad 10, strikes the golf ball 13 from tee orifice 51 with a standard golf club therefor, such as a putter, so that the ball travels from the tee orifice on pad 10 over the floor or ground 18 along the path 14to and through the inlet orifice 15 of the return apparatus. The ball then travels along the curved wall 16 of the return apparatus and thence to the outlet orifice 17 of such apparatus. The ball then, if properly struck, travels over floor 18 along the path 19 to and over the entrance edge 36 to space 39 in receptacle 20 on the pad 10 and is then contained in said receptacle. Each ball thus received is conveniently picked up therefrom by the player for movement in the dispenser reservoir 21 for subsequent semi-automatic passage therefrom to the tee.

In a preferred embodiment, dispenser pad sub-assembly 10 comprises a large flat pad on which is located a receptacle sub-assembly 20, a ball reservoir sub-assembly 21, and a ball teeing sub-assembly 23. The subassemblies 20, 21, and 23 are firmly attached to the pad and space 28 is also provided thereon for the players feet. Space 28 is so located as to provide that a normal size adult may place his feet on the pad surface 30 and thereby his weight is utilized in stabilizing the dispensing apparatus and the receptacle sub-assembly 20. Thus the players weight, through the pad 30, fixes the position of pad 30 of the sub-assembly 10 and the sub-assemblies thereon relative to the return sub-assembly 11. Thereby, the alignment of the components of sub-assembly 10 is economically, readily, reliably, conveniently, and accurately accomplished relative to the components of subassembly 11 at any desired distance therefrom, while permitting, also, portability and ready storage of such game apparatus.

In the preferred embodiment, the over-allvlength of sub-assembly 10, indicated by the distance between pad corner points 26 and 27, is 18" While the width, measured from corner points 26 to corner point 29, is 28"; pad 30 ismade of A" thick cardboard, and sub-assemblies 20 and 21 are made of Ms" thick cardboard; and sub-assembly 10 weighs between 3 and 4 pounds, is sturdy, and has no moving parts.

The ball receptacle sub-assembly 20 is, in the preferred embodiment, 12" long, said length being measured parallel to pad edge 24 between points 26 and 27, and 8 /2 wide; it has vertical side walls 31 and 32, and a vertical rear wall 33. Side walls 31 and 32 are each 1 /2" high in the front and 2%." high in the rear; rear wall 33 is 2 /2" high. Floor 34 is located between walls 31, 32,

33, and 38, and is slightly sloped downwardlyv toward.

' top surface of pad 30. The edge 25, between pad corner points 26 and 29, is parallel to such edge 36, and tapers downwardly to the surface 18 to form a conveniently wide opening for balls to enter receptacle 2!). Edge 36 of' ramp may be co-linear with edge 25 of pad 30. The upper edge 37 of the ramp 35 also forms the upper edge of a vertical wall 38 which is A high in the preferred embodiment. Walls 31, 32, and 33 accordingly provide a laterally confined upwardly open space 39, to receive and hold golf balls; such space also provides ready physical access to said balls for manipulation thereof as needed. The floor 34, being rearwardly sloped in the preferred embodiment, provides for balls in the space 39 to roll toward and gather against rear wall 33.

The ball reservoir sub-assembly 21 comprises connected vertical side walls 40 and 41, rear wall 42, and front wall 43, and a sloped floor these side walls are, in the preferred embodiment, flat and 1%" apart and these sides, front and rear walls are all 1 high. Floor 45 has a slope of A" in 1 foot from wall 42 to wall 43. An orifice 46 is provided in side wall 40 at what might otherwise be its juncture with wall 43; it is 1 wide for 1%" diameter golf balls and extends from fioor 45 upwards for the full height of wall 40. The terminal portion 48 of floor 45 adjacent wall 43 slopes laterally and upwardly at a 20 angle to the horizontal plane of the top of pad for about '%1" to form an upwardly, outwardly projecting lip, 47, which projects outwardly of orifice 46 and over the top of pad 30 for /2. Front wall 43 is outwardly curved, as at 49, for a depth of A2" to stabilize balls resting thereagainst. As standard golf balls have a 1%" diameter, such roll freely down the length of the reservoir until blocked and held by wall 43. However the slope and size of lip 47 overcomes the tendency of golf balls on portion 48 adjacent orifice 46 to pour out from the reservoir 21. A ball on portion 48 of floor is, however, readily moved through orifice 46 by a light force, such as that exerted thereon by the weight of the head of a standard putter club on the top side of a ball and tending to move it away from wall 41.

The wall 41 is, in the preferred embodiment, only /2" distant from wall 32 to prevent any ball being moved from receptacle 20 towards reservoir 21 falling therebetween from catching there. As the wall 32 is higher than wall 41, any tendency for a ball to bridge the space between these walls is also avoided and, in fact, a ball placed between those two walls will fall into reservoir 21. Space 44 is provided between walls 41 and 32 to permit convenient insertion of a golf club on the receptacle side of balls in reservoir 21 in order to move said balls out of orifice 46.

The orifice 46 feeds golf balls into the ball teeing sub-assembly 23. The ball holding and teeing sub-assembly 23 comprises, in serial connection, a discharge chute 50, a ball holding or tee orifice 51, and, in the preferred embodiment, a discharge groove 52 which extends from orifice 51 to the edge of pad 30 between points 26 and 29. The discharge chute is cut through pad 30 and, in the preferred embodiment, is wide and 3" long from the edge of the holding lip 47 distant from wall 40 to the center of the tee orifice 51. This guides golf balls reliably and automatically from lip 47 into the tee orifice, where such balls are reliably held in a position for convenient stroking towards sub-assembly 11. The tee orifice is circular in outline and has a diameter of 1" and is also cut through pad 30. There is a narrowing wedge 53 in the discharge chute. This is shown in FIGURE 7: it is triangular in shape, Ma" long and A" wide in the above described preferred embodiment and it faces an obtuse angle 54. The wedge 53 and angled portion 54 narrow the passage of chute 50 and change the direction of path of the golf ball passing therealong and cause it to suffer a slight hop over tip 55 of wedge 53, following which the tip 55 prevents the ball from bouncing from the outer edge 58 of orifice 51 back along chute 50.

In the preferred embodiment, the discharge groove 52 is 4% long from the pad edge 25 to the center of tee orifice 51 and edges 56 and 57 of groove 52 flare outwardly from 4;" spacing at their points of juncture, 59 and 60 respectively, with the tee orifice to 4 /2" at edge 25. This provides a smooth path of the ball from the pad 10 to the return sub-assembly 11.

In another embodiment of the invention, a A" thick piled rug or carpet 61 is attached to pad 30 and covers the area 62, 63, 64, 65 between sub-assembly 21 and area 28. It covers over the cutaway portions 50, 51 and 52 of the teeing sub-assembly 23 above described; its top surface is located below the level of lip 47 and is lightly but definitely indented to insure automatic gravity passage of a golf ball from lip 47 to a position over the tee orifice 51. The pad 61 is highly useful when subassembly 10 is supported on a hard floor.

In the preferred embodiment, the return assembly 11 comprises a smoothly curved 4" high, /2" thick solid wooden outer wall 16 30" wide and 18" front to rear firmly connected at its ends, 67 and 68 to a blocking board, 76, /2" thick and 4" high; the outer edges of orifices 15 and 17 are immediately adjacent and central ends 67 and 68 respectively. Orifice 17 is 4" wide and 3 high in the preferred embodiment; orifice 15 is 3" high and 10" wide and adjustable by wall 77 from 2" to 10 width. The bottom edges of wall 16 and the board 76 lie in the same fiat plane. A sturdy ear 71 laterally projects from board 76. The wall 16 is arranged so that its terminal segment 73 is relatively straight whereby balls which enter orifice 15 may be discharged from the sub-assembly 11 in any desired direction. The terminal segment is perpendicular to the plane of the stopping board 76. The terminal straight portion of the curved wall determines and defines the direction of path of balls moving sufficiently rapidly to roll along the inner, concave surface of wall 16. This provides that balls entering orifice 15 of the sub-assembly 11 from surface 18 may be discharged therefrom in a line substantially or altogether parallel to, but displaced from, the line in which such entrance is made. Central segment 74 of the wall 16 is sloped downwardly and inwardly on its inner concave surface, 69, in order to prevent balls sliding along wall 16 from rising over the upper edge thereof.

A curved internal circular guide 75 is supported on and firmly attached to board 76 and wall 16; it is 12" total length and, also, 4" high and /2 thick; its bottom edge is coplanar with the bottom edges of wall 16 and of board 76; adjacent board 76, it is spaced away from wall 16 by the width of orifice 17 at its straight end, and spaced further from said wall at its end distant from board 76; this latter end is firmly supported on wall 16 by arm 78 which is 4" above the plane of the lower edge of wall 16. The central edge of the outlet orifice (the portion of board 76 above the outlet orifice 17) lies directly opposite the lateral edge (the edge adjacent and perpendicular to the substantially straight end segment 68 of curved wall 16 as shown in FIG. 2) of orifice 17. Guide 75 serves as a funnel means for balls traveling near to but not contacting wall 16 and facilitates their passage through orifice 17. Thereby the guide 75 and Wall 16 cooperate and arrange that balls will be discharged from subassembly 11 towards the player and thus minimizes the necessity of a players pursuing the balls which have not been exactly properly struck.

The stopping, or blocking, board 76 is provided near its ends with an entrance orifice 15 and an exit orifice 17. It is also provided with a panel 77 4" high and 16" long and slidably aftixed thereto. This panel is, in turn, grooved; the groove 80 is provided with a releasable wing nut assembly, 79, to easily fix said sliding panel on wall 76 to adjust the effective size of inlet orifice 15 from 2" to 10" width.

In the preferred embodiment, the sub-assembly 11 is also provided with a detachable base 81 made of .020" thick steel sheet for use on carpets but, however, detachable from the remainder of such assembly for use on smooth floors. The base is, accordingly, provided with locking ears 82 and 83 which snap on to the sides of wall 16. The base extends substantially laterally and to the rear of the device 11 and serves to keep it in place as it has a larger surface and a greater weight than the subassembly 11 standing alone. The base 81 is also provided with lateral upturned lips 86 and 87 to facilitate movement of the entire device, as by pushing with ones feet without bending down. Further, rearward ears 89 and 90 are attached to wall 16 and provide for sub-assembly 11 to be stably placed against a fixed structure, as a wall and to avoid displacement by maintaining the orientation of said sub-assembly with respect to said structure when said sub-assembly receives the impact of balls thereon either through the lateral ear 71, on board 76 or 77 or by the more gradual impact of the ball whose path is substantially reversed on rolling along the internal surface of wall 16. The ear 71 is at such an angle to the blocking panel 76 that it will bounce back a ball driven from the tee 51 toward sub-assembly 10.

With a 4" wide inlet orifice 15, there is preferably, with the embodiment above described, about 8 feet between the edge between points 26 and 29 of pad 30 and board 76 of sub-assembly 11. The substantially straight end segment 73 of wall 16 is then tangent to a straight line parallel to surface 18 and passing through the center of receptacle 20.

The combination of apparatus of this invention, accordingly, provides a simple, sturdy, reliable device which permits a player to quickly and conveniently operatively set the sub-assemblies of the game apparatus, to adjust the direction of discharge from orifice 17 by orienting sub-assembly 11 and segment 73 thereof to the desired direction of discharge in order to send properly struck balls to where desired (according to the preferred embodiment of this invention, to receptacle 2%), to adjust the size of orifice and to set the distance of said orifice from the teeing orifice 51 and sub-assembly 10 as desired. The weight of the player is utilized according to this invention to stabilize the position of the receptacle 20 relative to the return sub-assembly 11 as well as to stabilize the means, as 51, holding the golf ball at the time of impact of a golf club therewith.

The arrangement of the dispenser sub-assembly 10 and return sub-assembly above described provides a game ac cording to which a player strokes golf balls into means that automatically return them towards him and, also, catch and hold such balls until he may desire to pick them up. The player then may easily pick up from the receptacle chamber 20, any or all of the many balls which he has struck from tee 51 and are returned to such receptacle by sub-assembly 11; the reservoir sub-assembly 21 provides for convenient and reliable movement of such balls from the reservoir to the tee, and repeated play of the thus repeatedly returned golf balls. The player may also adjust the distance of the return sub-assembly and the size of the inlet orifice thereof as he desires.

The foregoing description of the invention is explanatory and illustrative rather than limiting and changes of the details of the particular construction illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of this invention as expressed in the appended claims. Ac cordingly, although the means by which the objects of the invention herein are obtained in the form at present preferred have been above described in detail, modifications thereof Within the skill of the art are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A game apparatus comprising the combination of a dispensing sub-assembly and a return sub-assembly, said dispensing sub-assembly consisting essentially of static structures forming a static combination of a golf ball reservoir means, a static golf ball dispensing means, and a static golf ball receptacle means on one pad, said means all being affixed to said pad and the dispenser and receptacle facing in the same direction and said dispenser and said receptacle having an edge of an outlet and an inlet orifice respectively at ground level, said reservoir means opening to said ball dispensing means, the reservoir means having a floor downwardly sloped to an upwardly sloped discharge lip thereof discharging to said dispenser means, said dispenser means comprising a chute on said pad and means for holding a golf ball in teeing position, said chute leading to and connecting to said means for holding, said pad being a substantially flat sheet and comprising an area substantially at ground level for placement of the players feet, said area being spaced away on said pad from said means for holding in teeing position, said dispensing sub-assembly being spaced away from said return sub-assembly by a substantially flat surface at the ends of which said dispensing sub-assembly and said return sub assembly are positioned, said return sub-assembly comprising a stopping board with spaced apart inlet and outlet orifices therein opening towards said dispensing sub-assembly, and a curved wall attached at its ends to said board adjacent and lateral of said orifices, the end segment of said wall immediately adjacent the outlet orifice being substantially straight, and tangent to a straight line between the lateral edge of said outlet orifice and the inlet orifice of said receptacle means of said dispensing sub-assembly, whereby balls leaving said return sub-assembly outlet orifice are returned to the receptacle means of said dispensing sub-assembly, the segment intermediate said end segments being smoothly curved, and said wall having a lower edge in the same flat plane as the lower edge of said stopping board, said intermediate segment interior surface being sloped inwardly and downwardly of said wall and said surface being tilted downwardly toward said stopping board, and blocking means slidably attached to said stopping board and movable in front of said inlet orifice and said stopping board extending laterally on both sides of said inlet orifice.

2. A golf ball return apparatus comprising a stopping board with spaced apart inlet and outlet orifices therein and a curved wall attached at its ends to said board adjacent and lateral of said orifices, the end segment of said wall immediately adjacent the outlet orifice being substantially straight, the segment of said curved wall intermediate said inlet orifice and said end segment being smoothly curved, and said curved wall having a lower edge in the same flat plane as the lower edge of said stopping board, said interior surface of said intermediate segment being sloped inwardly and downwardly of said wall and tilted downwardly toward said stopping board, said outlet orifice having one lateral edge adjacent the substantially straight end segment of said curved wall, and another central edge opposite to said lateral edge and bounded by said stopping board, and a guiding means attached to the stopping board at a point thereon central to said outlet orifice and extending away from said stopping board and from said wall, said guiding means having a lower edge, said lower edge lying in the same flat plane as the lower edge of said wall and said stopping board and said stopping board extending laterally on both sides of said inlet orifice.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,014,936 Bettin Jan. 16, 1912 1,961,060 McCarthy May 29, 1934 2,232,569 Johnson Feb. 18, 1941 2,789,824 Willcox Apr. 23, 1957 

1. A GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF A DISPENSING SUB-ASSEMBLY AND A RETURN SUB-ASSEMBLY, SAID DISPENSING SUB-ASSEMBLY CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF STATIC STRUCTURES FORMING A STATIC COMBINATION OF A GOLF BALL RESERVOIR MEANS, A STATIC GOLF BALL DISPENSING MEANS, AND A STATIC GOLF BALL RECEPTACLE MEANS ON ONE PAD, SAID MEANS ALL BEING AFFIXED TO SAID PAD AND THE DISPENSER AND RECEPTACLE FACING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND SAID DISPENSER AND SAID RECEPTACLE HAVING AN EDGE OF AN OUTLET AND AN INLET ORIFICE RESPECTIVELY AT GROUND LEVEL, SAID RESERVOIR MEANS OPENING TO SAID BALL DISPENSING MEANS, THE RESERVOIR MEANS HAVING A FLOOR DOWNWARDLY SLOPED TO AN UPWARDLY SLOPED DISCHARGE LIP THEREOF DISCHARGING TO SAID DISPENSER MEANS, SAID DISPENSER MEANS COMPRISING A CHUTE ON SAID PAD AND MEANS FOR HOLDING A GOLF BALL IN TEEING POSITION, SAID CHUTE LEADING TO AND CONNECTING TO SAID MEANS FOR HOLDING, SAID PAD BEING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SHEET AND COMPRISING AN AREA SUBSTANTIALLY AT GROUND LEVEL FOR PLACEMENT OF THE PLAYER''S FEET, SAID AREA BEING SPACED AWAY ON SAID PAD FROM SAID MEANS FOR HOLDING IN TEEING POSITION, SAID DISPENSING SUB-ASSEMBLY BY A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFROM SAID RETURN SUB-ASSEMBLY BY A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFACE AT THE ENDS OF WHICH SAID DISPENSING SUB-ASSEMBLY AND SAID RETURN SUB-ASSEMBLY ARE POSITIONED, SAID RETURN SUB-ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A STOPPING BOARD WITH SPACED APART INLET AND OUTLET ORIFICES THEREIN OPENING TOWARDS SAID DISPENSING SUB-ASSEMBLY, AND A CURVED WALL ATTACHED AT ITS ENDS TO SAID BOARD ADJACENT AND LATERAL OF SAID ORIFICES, THE END SEGMENT OF SAID WALL IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT THE OUTLET ORIFICE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT, AND TANGENT TO A STRAIGHT LINE BETWEEN THE LATERAL EDGE OF SAID OUTLET ORIFICE AND THE INLET ORIFICE OF SAID RECEPTACLE MEANS OF SAID DISPENSING SUB-ASSEMBLY, WHEREBY BALLS LEAVING SAID RETURN SUB-ASSEMBLY OUTLET ORIFICE ARE RETURNED TO THE RECEPTACLE MEANS OF SAID DISPENSING SUB-ASSEMBLY, THE SEGMENT INTERMEDIATE SAID END SEGMENTS BEING SMOOTHLY CURVED, AND SAID WALL HAVING A LOWER EDGE IN THE SAME FLAT PLANE AS THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID STOPPING BOARD, SAID INTERMEDIATE SEGMENT INTERIOR SURFACE BEING SLOPED INWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY OF SAID WALL AND SAID SURFACE BEING TILTED DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID STOPPING BOARD, AND BLOCKING MEANS SLIDABLY ATTACHED TO SAID STOPPING BOARD AND MOVABLE IN FRONT OF SAID INLET ORIFICE AND SAID STOPPING BOARD EXTENDING LATERALLY ON BOTH SIDES OF SAID INLET ORIFICE. 